Kristy and the Mysterious Piano Recital
by buddkaty81
Summary: Kristy and her friends have been called to babysit for Susan Felder, an 8-year-old autistic girl who is practically a genious. When kristy is helping Susan practice for her upcoming piano recital, the tables start turning...
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: All characters and locations belong to Ann M. Martin. No copyright infringement is intended.

Chapter 1

One day, me and my friends were sitting at the lunch table at school. We were talking about the soundtrack for the new movie that came out last Saturday. The piano music in it was so pretty. If only one of my friends could sing. We could all sing to the songs of the soundtrack together. But none of us really sings, and it would probably sound bad if we did. My friend Jessi is a ballet dancer and my friend Claudia is an artist. That is pretty much all the talent me and my friends have.

Before I go on, let me explain a little bit about myself and my friends. My name is Kristin Amanda Thomas, and I'm in the 8th grade at Stoneybrook Middle School. I live in a mansion with my mom, my stepfather Watson, my big brothers Sam and Charlie, and my little brother David Michael. My dad left my family when I was young. Charlie had to pretty much take over the family whenever Mom was at work. Watson's kids, my step brother and sister, Karen and Andrew, come to our house every other weekend, but other than that, they live with their mom and their stepfather Seth.

I cannot stand wearing dresses. I wear jeans and a turtleneck. I also have 6 other friends. Let me explain.

Mary Anne Spier is a shy girl who gets emotional easily. Her mother died when she was a baby, leaving her and her dad alone together. Her dad used to be very strict. Mary Anne used to not be allowed on the phone for more than 15 minutes at a time, and couldn't go anywhere she wanted whenever she wanted. This changed though when she finally stood up to him and told him that she was a big girl now, and that she needed to make her own choices. Mary Anne and I have known each other for years, since we were little kids. Mary Anne wears leggings with a long shirt over it.

Dawn Schafer moved to Stoneybrook from California, with her brother Jeff and her mom. Jeff however, didn't like Stoneybrook very much, and moved back to California to live with their dad. Dawn's mom married Mary Anne's dad, so now, Mary Anne and Dawn are stepsisters. Dawn likes healthy food, won't eat any junk food whatsoever. Dawn wears more jeans and shirts, with high top shoes.

Claudia Kishi lives with her parents and her sister Janine, who is a genius. Janine is only in high school, and she's already taking college classes. Claudia's grandmother Mimi died due to a stroke, which upset Mary Anne greatly, because Mimi always was a motherly figure to her. Claudia isn't like Janine at all. She doesn't like school, and enjoys art. Claudia takes art classes, and struggles with homework and grades. Her parents don't approve of Nancy Drew books, but she hides them in her bedroom and reads them whenever she can. She also hides candy and other junk in her bedroom, against her parents' wishes. No one except her and the BSC know about this. I will explain about the BSC later. Claudia wears more fashion clothes, and she wears makeup. If you expect her to wear the type of clothes that Mary Anne and I wear, you won't get that with Claudia. She looks much more grown-up than Mary Anne and I do.

Stacey McGill is Claudia's best friend. She moved to Stoneybrook from Near York City with her parents. When her dad was called back to New York, she moved back to New York for a while. Then her mom and dad got divorced, and she moved back with her mom. Stacey also has diabetes, so she can't have all the junk that Claudia has in her room. Instead, she has chips, crackers, etc. She has to take insulin every day, and she can't let her diabetes get out of control, or she'll land in the hospital. Stacey wears clothes like Claudia does.

Mallory Pike lives in a big family. She has 7 brothers and sisters named Claire, Margo, Nicky, Adam, Jordan, Byron, and Vanessa. Mallory wishes that she could get her ears pierced, but isn't allowed to. She can only baby sit after school and only until 10:00 at night. Mallory is in 6th grade at SMS. She wears purple jeans and a shirt most of the time. She's the oldest in her family, and I don't know how she can handle the madness every day of her life.

Jessi Ramsey is Mallory's best friend. She's also in the 6th grade, just like Mal. Jessi and her little sister Becca moved to Stoneybrook from New Jersey. Her family is black, so it was hard at first to get anyone to like her. The only person who accepted her for who she is was Mal. While everyone was teasing Jessi, Mal was right there with her. Jessi takes ballet classes, and sometimes comes either right on time, or a minute late to our BSC meetings. Okay, let me explain what the BSC is.

The BSC stands for Baby-Sitters Club. My friends and I are all in it. The club was my idea. It's not so much a club, but a business. Once, Mom couldn't find a baby sitter for David Michael, and because of that, she couldn't go do what she needed to do. That's when I got the idea to create the Baby-Sitters Club. I am the president, seeing as it was my idea in the first place. Claudia's the vice-president, because we have our meetings in her bedroom where she has a phone. Seeing as the rest of us don't have private phone lines in our rooms like Claudia does, that's why we use her room. Mary Anne is the secretary, and she writes down events and babysitting jobs in the BSC record book. When a client calls, we tell them to hold, and Mary Anne quickly looks through the record book to see who is available. With this club, a client can reach out to more than one baby sitter at once.

Stacey is the treasurer. Every Monday, we give her the money we earn by babysitting, and she puts it into an envelope. We use some of our money to pay for Charlie to drive me to the meetings, and we use the money to get more fun items for the Kid Kits. What's the Kid Kit? The Kid Kit is a box of fun toys and books for the child to play with on rainy days.

Dawn is the alternate officer. If one of the members aren't at the meeting, she takes their place for that day. Mallory and Jessi are junior officers, because they are in 6th grade while the rest of us are in 8th grade. We also have two officers who can be called if there are no sitters available. Shannon Killbourne lives on my street. We used to not get along, but now, she is a very good, experienced, baby sitter. Logan Bruno is Mary Anne's steady boyfriend. He is also a good, experienced baby sitter who can be called whenever needed.

BSC meetings start at 5:30 to 6 every Monday, Wednesday, and Fridays in Claudia's bedroom. During that time, we get calls from clients who need a baby sitter. Once we're done babysitting, we have to write in the BSC notebook. This will let all of us know what's going on with our clients. I think that's all you need to know about the BSC.

Anyway, we were talking about good piano players when I remembered a good piano player, who is also one of our clients.

"Hey guys! Do you guys remember the Felders? Their daughter Susan is a fantastic piano player!" I said.

"I know! I sat for her once!" Jessi said. "We haven't sat for the Felders in a while." Mary Anne commented. "I miss them."

If you don't know who we are talking about, here's a little background about the Felder family. They have an 8-year-old daughter. Her name is Susan, and she is autistic. She can remember what day it was all the way back to the 1960's, and she could play a song on the piano after only hearing it once. She is really talented.

Today was a Monday, and that meant that it was a BSC meeting. We all gathered in Claudia's room at 5:20. "I call this meeting to order!" I said. As president, it is my job to keep things rolling at our meetings. I have to make sure we are on task and get everything accomplished. Stacey collects dues, and we started talking about our availability for the next week. Then the phone rang, and I answered.

"Babysitters' club!" I said, picking up the phone. "Oh! Hello Mrs. Felder!" I said, making the room go quiet. "You need a sitter for Susan Saturday at 2? Okay, one moment and I'll check." Mary Anne, being the organized person, was already looking at the record book. "Kristy, you're free," She said. "Okay, Mrs. Felder. I will be there on Saturday at 2. Okay. Bye! See you then!" I said with excitement, putting down the phone.

"Well, we finally get to sit for the Felders again!" Jessi said. "I missed them!" But little did we know that sitting for the Felders was going to take a drastic turn.

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	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: All characters and locations belong to Ann M. Martin. No copyright infringement is intended.

Chapter 2

The next day after school, I came home to a rather upset mom. She was stomping around the kitchen, preparing my little brother's after school snack.

"Kristy, you can't babysit on Saturday!" mom said. "I have a funeral to go to, and you have to watch your brothers and sister. Watson's coming with me, so you will be by yourself!"

"Okay," I replied, upset that I wouldn't be able to see Susan. "I guess the Felders will have to find another sitter, then."

The rest of the night went fine, and so did the next day at school. But I dreaded the BSC meeting because I had to tell them I couldn't babysit tomorrow. We all gathered in our usual meeting place and I called the meeting to order and then it came to the discussion about availability.

"I can't babysit tomorrow," I said, looking rather upset.

"Well, Jessi's free. She can do it," Mary Anne assured me.

"Okay. Let's give a call to Mrs. Felder, then," Claud said, picking up the phone.

"Hello, Mrs. Felder. We are sending Jessi Ramsey to babysit for Susan tomorrow at 2. Kristy can't make it, unfortunately, because she has to watch her siblings while her mom goes to a funeral."

"That's odd, because I'm going to that same funeral!" Mrs. Felder said from the other end.

"Hang on. I'll give the phone to Jessi and you guys can figure it out," Claudia said, passing the phone to Jessi.

"Hello, Mrs. Felder. I'm Jessi Ramsey, and I have an 8-year-old sister named Becca. They can play together, but I need to make sure that Susan can stay at my house tomorrow and I'll call you back. Bye." Jessi hung up and called her parents. "Hi, mom. So, I have to take Kristy's sitting job over, and Mrs. Felder would like me to watch Susan at our house. Is that okay?" Jessi asked. "Sure, honey. That's fine," Mrs. Ramsey said. "Thanks, Mom. See you in a bit," Jessi said, hanging up the phone. Then, she called Mrs. Felder back. "Hello, Mrs. Felder. Susan can stay at my house tomorrow night."

"Okay, I will drop her off at 2, then. Bye," Mrs. Felder said, hanging up.

"Well, that took up the whole meeting," I said. "Meeting adjourned!"

The next day was cold and rainy. A perfect day for a Kid Kit. I called Jessi, telling her to bring one. "No, we'll be fine. I have other stuff to do in mind."

Saturday

Jessi was just pulling chocolate chip cookies out of the oven when the doorbell rang. When she answered it, Susan stood there, looking shy and scared. "Hi, Susan. How are you?" Jessi asked. "Fine," Susan replied. Then, Becca came running into the hallway. "Becca!" Susan exclaimed. "Let's go play!"

So, Jessi left the girls alone for a while to play. Then, all of a sudden, a huge clap of thunder shook the house and Susan screamed. Becca tried to give her a hug, but she pulled away and ran to Jessi.

"I hate thunder!" she said, in tears.

"I know. It's over now," Jessi said. "Here. Have a cookie and take one to Becca."

So, Susan went along, enjoying her cookie. Becca came over and took the cookie that was hers from Susan and they started playing again.

Then, it was time for dinner. "What do you girls want for dinner?" Jessi asked. "Pizza!" Becca shouted. "Hot dogs and macaroni!" Susan said. "Becca, we had pizza last night, remember?" Jessi said. "Oh yeah!" Becca said, giggling. "So, hot dogs and macaroni and cheese it is!" Jessi said. "You guys go play and I will call you down when it's ready."

Finally, it was dinnertime. When everything was eaten and the dishes were washed, it was time for baths. Becca wanted to take a bath with Susan, but Susan refused, causing Becca to cry, running to her room and slamming the door. "No bath with Becca! Bath alone!" Susan demanded. "Okay. Let's go wash up," Jessi said, leading Susan into the bathroom. Susan took her bath just fine, but Becca splashed Jessi until she was soaking wet. After the girls were in their pajamas and Jessi was dried off, the girls wanted to watch a movie. Susan wanted to watch "Charlotte's Web" and Becca wanted to watch "The Lion King". Since there was plenty of time, Jessi and the girls watched both movies, but they were all asleep before the second movie ended.

The next morning, jessi's parents made pancakes for all of the girls and they all went to church. When they got there, the church's piano player wasn't there. So, knowing Susan could play the piano, Jessi asked what songs the choir was doing, and Susan knew all of them. She played the songs beautifully, like always. But one of the voices in the choir really caught her attention. "She could be the singer I need for my recital next Saturday!" Susan thought to herself, getting excited. After the service, Susan went up to the girl with the pretty voice and started talking.

"Hi. I'm Susan Felder," She said. "What's your name?"

"Kathryn," The older girl said. "What's up?" "Well, I was wondering if you would like to sing at my piano recital next Saturday," Susan explained, hoping the girl would say yes.

"I'd love to!" Kathryn exclaimed. "Maybe we can hang out on Tuesday or something to practice."

"Okay. Bye!" Susan said, handing Kathryn a piece of paper with her address on it before running off.

"Well, did you have fun at church?" Jessi asked.

"Yeah! I found the perfect singer for my piano recital!" Susan said. Then, the doorbell rang and Susan's mom was there for her and she was gone.

So, that must have been interesting for Jessi. That was the BSC's first overnight sitting job (minus the trip the Pikes took to Sea City and two of us sitters got to go. I hope we won't have to have another overnight job, but you never know what people are going to do when they need a sitter. Luckily, me and my friends are flexible and can work around anything.

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	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: All characters and locations belong to Ann M. Martin. No copyright infringement is intended.

Chapter 3

The next day at school, I told my friends that it was very odd that we had an overnight sitting job. We agreed that it was also that my mom and Susan's mom went to the same funeral. Whoever it is, I guess they both knew the person. After we talked about that, the bell to go back to class rang. "See you at the meeting tonight!" I said, standing up. As I was walking out of the cafeteria, some words caught my attention.

"Did you guys hear about the lead quarterback on the high school football team?" one girl asked.

"No! What happened?" another asked.

"He and his girlfriend Kathryn got in a car accident on Tuesday night. Unfortunately, Kathryn's boyfriend died and Kathryn lost her sight," The girl explained.

"Oh no!" one boy said. "No wonder the whole town was at Kathryn's church Saturday afternoon!"

So, that's why my mom and Susan's mom had to have people watch their kids! They were going to the same funeral to pay respects to the same person!

The rest of the afternoon at school went fine, but I still cannot believe what I heard. I went home, did my homework, and went over to Claudia's for the BSC meeting, ready to tell them what I found out.

"I call this meeting to order!" I said, sitting in the director's chair.

"How is everyone?" Mary Anne asked. Everyone chimed in with either "Fine." Or "Good.", but I had more to say than how I was.

"I'm fine, but you guys will not believe what I heard at school today!"

"What is it, Kristy?" Mary Anne asked. So, I told everyone about the girl Kathryn and her boyfriend and Jessi turned rather sad. "Me and Susan met Kathryn at church yesterday, and I had no idea she was blind! She handles her lost sight and boyfriend very well," Jessi said. She was just about to say something when the phone rang.

"Babysitters' club," I said, picking up the phone. "Oh hi, Mrs. Felder. You need a sitter for Susan tomorrow at 4? Okay, hold on." I quickly pick up the record book and whisper to Mary Anne saying that I was the only one free and I'd do it. Then, I picked up the phone. "Okay, Mrs. Felder. I'll be there at 4 tomorrow. Bye," I said, hanging up. Well at least now I get to finally sit for Susan for the first time in a long time.

Tuesday

I arrive at the Felders' house at 3:55. I could not wait to see Susan again. Then, I rang the doorbell and Mrs. Felder answered.

"Hello, Kristy. Susan's inside at the piano. Someone named Kathryn is coming to practice with her at 4:30," Mrs. Felder said. "The phone number is on the fridge if you need it."

So, I walked inside and sat on the couch. Susan came over and sat next to me. "Hi, Kristy," She said. "Hi, Susan! How are you?" I asked.

"Fine. I'm really excited for my piano recital!" Susan said. She could barely hold still because she was so excited. "I can't wait for Kathryn to get here!"

"Oh yeah? She's singing for you at your recital, isn't she?" I asked. "Yeah!" Susan said, getting even more excited.

"Well, it's almost 4:20," I said. "Let's go wait by the door."

We have been waiting by the door for 30 minutes when I realized something... it was 4:50 and Kathryn had not arrived yet. Susan was getting very impatient, and she was almost crying.

"Hey. It's going to be okay," I reassured her. "Come on! I'll make you dinner!" So, I made Susan a dinner of chicken nuggets and French fries. When she was happily eating, I found Kathryn's house phone number and dialed it.

"Hi. Are you Kathryn's mom?" I ask. "Yes. Where is she? Isn't she at Susan Felder's house?" asked a lady from the other end.

"No! She hasn't shown up, and it's 5:15! By the way, I'm Kristy Thomas, and I am babysitting for the Felders," I said. "Well, can you help us find our daughter? She just lost her sight and she might be lost!" the lady cried.

"I will try my best," I said. "I will call you back if I find her."

After I got off with Kathryn's mom, I called every phone number I knew, and no one has seen her since Sunday night. It appears to be that Kathryn was missing.

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	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: All characters and locations still belong to Ann M. Martin. No copyright infringement is intended.

Chapter 4

The next day, I decided to make that day's BSC meeting an extra half hour long. I wanted to try to find Kathryn before Susan's piano recital. Susan was really excited and looking forward to Kathryn helping her, and I would hate to let her down.

I told my friends to meet at Claudia's house at 5 for an extended and important babysitters' club meeting. We managed to find Mallory and Jessi to tell them about the extended meeting, and we even found our associate members and asked them to attend this very important meeting.

That afternoon, instead of riding the bus home, I went straight to Claud's house and called my mom to let her know that Charlie would only have to pick me up at 6 because we were having an extended BSC meeting. I wouldn't want to make Charlie drive me an extra half hour early, so I would stay at Claudia's until the meeting ended. Mom said okay and wished me luck at the meeting. Then I got off and did my homework.

"I call this extended meeting to order!" I said. "First order of business: Kathryn is missing."

"Oh no!" everyone exclaimed.

"How is Susan handling that?" Jessi asked.

"Not very well," I said.

"I suggest we conduct a search," Shannon Kilbourne said.

"Yeah. We could get all of the neighborhood kids and the kids we sit for to help!" Mary Anne added. We were about to plan the search party when the phone rang. It was Mrs. Felder, wanting a sitter for Susan the next day at 4. I told her I could do it, so that was all set. Then I told her that we were planning a search party for Kathryn for the next day, and that Susan is definitely welcome to help.

"Well of course she would have to help, if you guys are babysitting for her and conducting the search," Mrs. Felder said. "I'm not going to let her stay home alone... at least not yet."

When I got off the phone with Mrs. Felder, we put down a few more jobs for the next day, and soon, we had a bunch of kids that were willing to help look for Kathryn.

It was just turning 6 and everyone was packing up. "Wait!" I called after everyone. "Meet here after school. There are 30 kids coming to help, so six of us will take four kids and one of us will have six. I will have a list of who is with who, and I will see you all tomorrow. Be prepared for any weather. Meeting adjourned!"

Everyone left and I was the last one out. When I got into Charlie's car, we rode home in silence. When I got home, my mom had saved a hot plate of food for me and it was ready for me to eat as soon as I walked in the door.

"How was the meeting, honey?" mom asked.

"It was fine. We're conducting a search tomorrow for Kathryn. All of the kids we sit for are coming to help," I replied. "Can David Michael come?"

"Remember, he has a soccer practice tomorrow." mom reminded me.

"Oh yeah!" I said. "I totally forgot!" After I was done eating, our house phone rang. "I'll get it!" I said, running to the phone. "Hello? Oh hi! Oh! You know about the search party? You're cancelling soccer practice just to let your players join in? Wow! Okay! Twelve more people in our search party, then. Okay, thanks. Bye."

"Who was it?" mom asked, coming into the kitchen. "It was David Michael's soccer coach. He cancelled soccer practice for tomorrow. He apparently found out about the search, and decided to let his players miss practice to help!" I said.

"Great! The more people to help, the better!" mom exclaims. "I'll make sure David Michael's at Claudia's after school, and you'd better call your friends and let them know about the extra twelve kids coming along." Mom left the room, leaving me to make six phone calls. First, I called Mary Anne and told her to expect twelve extra kids. Then I thought I could just have her call one member and the message could get around that way. Before we got off, and without me even asking her, Mary Anne said she'd pass on the message. Then we got off the phone and I thought "This search is going to be a lot of fun but a lot of work!"

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	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: All characters and locations belong to Ann M. Martin. No copyright infringement is intended.

Chapter 5

Thursday came fast. It was the day us sitters and 42 kids were going to set off to look for Kathryn. But before we could do that, I had to write a list of who is coming and which kids will be with which sitter. Since there are 42 kids and 7 babysitters, each sitter will have 6 kids in their group. You might think 6 kids in a group is a lot, but we can handle it. We've done it before.

The day dragged on, but fortunately, I had absolutely no homework. When the day finally ended, I went over to Claudia's, where there were already 30 kids standing in a line. "Okay, guys. Once David Michael's soccer team comes, I will put you into groups and we will all head in separate directions. We will meet back here at 7. Okay?" I asked, taking charge. There were several "Okay's" and several nods of "Yes". "Good! At least you know the plan! Oh look! Here come the other kids now. Let's get into groups!" I said. When my friends got there two minutes later, I pointed to six kids and pointed at each member of the BSC until everyone was with a group. "Okay! Now that everyone is with their groups, please stay together! We do not need any more missing people!" I exclaimed. "Let's meet back here at 7. Report anything you find. Go!" So, me and my group set off. It was about 5:30 when one of the kids bent down. "Kristy, look what I found!" the kid shouted with excitement, coming up. She had a high heel shoe in her hand. "Wow! That shoe looks a lot bigger than ours!" another kid shouted. Then, I took the shoe and gasped. "No wonder it's so big! It's size 11!" I said. "Well, at least we have that as a clue." After that, we didn't find anything else that could possibly lead to Kathryn's whereabouts. By 7, all hope was lost and I led 6 crestfallen kids back to Claudia's house to meet up with the others. And I was shocked to see what kind of clues they found.

"Our group found a bag that was ripped open," One of the kids that was not in my group said. She brought the bag over to me, and in it were a Bible, a pencil, some Braille sheet music and a bracelet. The bracelet was missing most of its charms and the sheet music was ripped in half. But then, I looked in the Bible to see if someone wrote clues inside. On the inside cover were the most horrifying words ever: "The voice of an angel will not be returned until wishes are granted." I slammed the book shut and put all the clues in the ripped bag. I was about to dismiss the kids when I noticed something peculiar about the bag. It was covered in blood.

"You guys are dismissed. Thanks for helping," I said. Kids began to leave with their parents, but me and my friends stuck around. "What do we do now?" Mallory asked.

"We have an extended BSC meeting tomorrow," I said. "We will talk about the clues then." Everyone agreed and left.

When I got home, something on the news caught my attention. "Breaking news! The local Baptist Church Piano Recital has been rescheduled for two weeks from this Saturday. Church members say that one of the performers are missing, and action is being taken," A reporter said. "Good! At least that gives us more time to find Kathryn!" I exclaimed.

Then, my house phone rang. I answered it, realizing it was Mrs. Felder. "Hello, Mrs. Felder," I answered, picking up the phone. "Did you know that Susan's piano recital was rescheduled just because Kathryn's missing?" Mrs. Felder asked.

"Yeah. I just found out. At least it gives me and my friends more time to find her." "Yes. That's true," Mrs. Felder said. "After all, Kathryn is the lead vocalist in the church choir."

This was new. I did not know that Kathryn was the lead vocalist! Then, Mrs. Felder asked how the search went and if we found anything. I told her about the items we found and the message in the Bible, and she was rather confused. "Will you report the items?" Mrs. Felder asked.

"Yes. Once me and my friends come up with a meaning behind the message," I said, reassuring her, hanging up the phone after saying goodbye.

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	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: Once again, all characters and locations belong to Ann M. Martin. No copyright infringement is intended.

Chapter 6

The next day after school, there was another BSC meeting. I was kind of nervous to figure out who wrote the message and what the message meant. I made sure I grabbed the ripped bag before I set off for school. Then, the interesting day began.

A few hours later, after two classes, I heard someone randomly say that Kathryn's parents wanted money that she never paid back. I walked closer and listened more. This was getting interesting. Perhaps that's part of what we need to solve this mystery.

I also heard that the amount that Kathryn owed her father was $1000. This money was going to help pay for the wrecked car that was involved in the accident that took Kathryn's sight. I was wondering why Kathryn went missing when more words caught my attention. "Yeah. He said that if he was not paid back in five days, she'd be sorry," One kid said, jeering.

Before my next class, I looked at the message in the Bible again. "The voice of an angel will not be returned until wishes are granted." So, I found out what the message means. Now I just had to figure out how to level it out and solve this problem.

So, after school, I met my friends in Claudia's room. I was really excited to tell them all what the message meant. "I call this meeting to order!" I said. I sat in the desk chair facing my friends. "I know what the message means!" I exclaimed.

"Oh! What?" Dawn asked.

"Well, Kathryn owes her dad $1000 for fixing the car. If she didn't pay him back within five days, she'd be sorry," I explained.

"Why would Kathryn go missing, though?" Jessi asked.

"I don't know," I replied.

We took a few phone calls and then we decided to call Kathryn's parents and speak to her dad. "Do you think this will do any good?" Mal asked.

"Of course," I said. "The more answers the better! The answers to the questions will help us solve this mystery."

So, we called Kathryn's dad and I decided to be the person to ask him questions. "Hello?" a voice on the other end said.

"Are you Kathryn's dad?" I asked.

"Yes. What's up?" the guy asked.

"Why is Kathryn missing?" I asked.

"Because she didn't pay me back in time."

"Why did you say she'd be sorry if she didn't pay you back?"

"Because she knew there would be consequences! You don't say you'd pay someone back when you actually don't!"

"Well, okay then. Is there a way you can tell me where she is?"

"I'll tell you if you pay me the thousand bucks within five days. If not, then you'd be sorry too!"

"What are you going to do? Shut down my organization?" I asked.

"Yes. I just might!" Kathryn's dad said. Now, goodbye!"

"Well, we have to come up with $1000 within five days," I said to my friends, frustrated. "We'd better start fundraising!"

"What should we do?" Mary Ann asked.

"Let's have a few bake sales and a few car washes!" Stacey chimed in.

"Yeah! Sounds like fun! We could also put in some of our babysitting money!" Claudia said.

"I agree!" I said, getting happy.

"Okay then. Let's start planning!" Mary Ann said.

So, we planned two bake sales for Friday at school and two Saturday. We would do a car wash on Sunday, and then we'd pool our babysitting money together at our next BSC meeting that Monday. We should be able to find Kathryn's dad and give him the money on Tuesday so we can finally unravel the pieces, put them together and solve this weird mystery.

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	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer; As always, all characters and locations belong to Ann M. Martin. No copyright infringement is intended.

Chapter 7

That day after the meeting, I went home to eat dinner. I was just about to tell my mom about the meeting when a breaking news story came in.

"Just minutes ago, the Baptist church's piano was stolen and destroyed. It will likely take $1000 to fix. Please let us know if you can help get a new piano for the church before the recital in about a week and a half," The news reporter said.

I thought that the piano being destroyed was a clue to the mystery, so I decided to call the news station and say that my friends and I would look for clues and evidence to back up the stolen piano mystery. Now my friends and I have two mysteries to solve.

Then, I proceeded to tell my mom about what we decided to do to get Kathryn's dad the money. When I told her about the bake sales and the car wash, she agreed to help. Well, now that the fundraising is settled, it was time to pick up the pieces to the stolen piano mystery.

The next day at school, everyone was talking about the stolen piano mystery. When I asked my friends to help me search for clues, everyone agreed. So, after school, we set out to search for clues to this ongoing mystery.

So, after school, me and my friends started our search at the park. There was nothing there, so we started to search in nearby neighborhoods. We were just about to give up when Stacey found a cardboard box double taped shut that was wrapped in newspaper, kind of like a gift. I unwrapped it.

"What's in it?" Jessi asked.

I opened the box to see a bunch of black and white strips.

"It looks like a bunch of black and white piano keys!" I exclaimed.

Then, underneath everything, there was a note addressed to the Stoneybrook Baptist Church.

To my Despised church members:

How dare you coddle and support my blind daughter. Just because she became blind, you let her into the choir. Before that, I was getting all of the attention, now you ignore me but spoil my daughter as if she's yours. Well, she isn't! What if your piano was stolen? There would be no more choir, my daughter's spectacular singing career would come to an end, and I would move my family away from this church. So, it's either kick my daughter out of the choir with no explanation or you will be sorry.

"That was some wicked note," Dawn exclaimed. "We should take this stuff to the police station to be examined."

So, we went to the police station from where we were and told them everything.

"Thank you, girls, for your help," one of the officers said. "We have our suspect, boys! Let's go!"


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: Still don't own the baby-sitters Club.

Chapter 8

The next day, my mom and I did a bunch of baking together. My friends did baking, too, that way we would have lots of baked goods for the four bake sales happening tomorrow and Saturday. All cookies were going to be priced at $1, brownies at $2, cupcakes at $4 and any other baked goods like fudge would be sold at $5.

By the end of the night, my friends and I each had two crates full of baked goods, and our parents would have to drive us to school because there was so much food.

So, Friday came. We decided to set up the first bake sale in the lobby before school. My friends and I got to school an hour early so we could get the most sales before school. Within the first 30 minutes, we had made $50, and by the time the bell rang to get to class, we had made a total of $100. Our bake sale frenzy was off to a great start.

Then, lunchtime came. My friends and I set up our crates again, and we continued to sell our baked goods. Throughout the morning, word spread about the bake sales that were taking place, so we made $400 during lunch.

So, today's bake sales were a hit. At the BSC meeting, we reflected on how well the sales went and we were ready for tomorrow. Since we only had one crate from each member, my friends and I decided to only do one bake sale tomorrow at the soccer game that would take place.

"Maybe we should bake a little more," Stacey said, "so that there is enough. We don't want to run out during the sale!"

"I agree!" I said.

So, we decided to bake a little more for tomorrow's sale, when we were all done with our baking, we decided to call it quits.

"Meeting adjourned! Meet at the soccer field at 9. People start coming at 9:30 and the game starts at 10!" I said. Then, we left and wished Claud goodbye.

So, as planned, everyone met at the soccer field the next morning at 9. We just finished setting up when the first parents and children started filing in. By the end of the game, all of our baked goods were sold and we sold $400. Again, our bake sale was a hit!

The next day, we all met on the downtown streets with water, soap and buckets with towels. We put up signs yesterday after the bake sale in hopes that people would want their cars washed.

Sure enough, at 11, two cars showed up. It was $10 to wash a car. At about 1, there was a mysterious black car that came for a wash. We washed the car, but the customer didn't pay us. He just sped off, shouting "See you, suckers!" out of his car window.

"Hey Kristy," Dawn said. "Didn't that sound just like Kathryn's dad"

"Yes… It did…" I replied.

"Oh well." Mal chimed in.

Then, by two, we washed ten cars and made $100. Everyone had fun washing cars, and at least we made money while doing it!

"Ok, guys! See you tomorrow!" I exclaimed. "Nice job this weekend!"


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer: nothing has changed. Still belongs to Ann M. Martin.

Chapter 9

The next day, Monday, we met in Claudia's room for our regular BSC meeting.

"I call this meeting to order!" I said.

"Let's put our earnings together," Stacey said, "to see if we need to put in any of our babysitting money."

So, we put in our earned money from the past weekend. "We have $1000 even," Stacey said, "so we can pay Kathryn's dad back. Then, hopefully Kathryn will be released."

So, that was our plan. Me, Mary Anne and Stacey would go to the jail to see Kathryn's dad and give him the money. Then, if all goes as planned, we will ask if Kathryn could be released.

My friends and I proceeded to take a lot more calls. We even got a call from Mrs. Felder. She asked what our grand total of earnings was, and I was happy to let her know that we had the full amount.

At exactly six o'clock, me, Mary Anne and Stacey set off to the Stoneybrook jail. We were all very nervous. This was something we had to do to solve and close the mystery of Kathryn's disappearance. My friends and I set off not looking forward to what was going to come.

"Excuse me," I called out. "We're here to see someone."

"Are you here to see that missing girl's dad?" an officer asked.

"Yes," Mary Anne replied.

We got to see Kathryn's dad in his cell. "Where's the money, kids?" he asked defiantly.

"Here it is, sir." I said, handing him the wad of bills.

"Thank you," Kathryn's dad said, looking pleased. "My daughter needs to learn to pay people back."

"Well, sir, she was hospitalized for five days!" I exclaimed.

"There was no way for your daughter to pay you back if she was in the hospital!" Stacey added in.

"Oh… She was hospitalized?" Kathryn's dad asked, looking puzzled. "Why wasn't I informed?"

"I don't know, but you have your money now," I said.

"Now where is your daughter?" Mary Anne demanded.

"That is for you to find out!" Kathryn's dad exclaimed. "Check the church first."

we said goodbye to Kathryn's dad and raced to the Stoneybrook Baptist Church. We went into the chapel and climbed onto the stage and noticed a trapdoor where the piano used to be before it was destroyed.

"Let's open it!" I exclaim, getting excited.

So, we opened the trapdoor to find an unconscious body. We realized it was no other than Kathryn.

So, we rushed Kathryn to the hospital where she could recover. Kathryn's dad was released from jail after he was questioned and he told the officers how he was unaware of his daughter's hospitalization. Both of Kathryn's parents met their daughter, who was still unconscious, at the hospital to pray and stay with their dawughter.


	10. Chapter 10

Disclaimer: Never will own the babysitters Club. Ann M. Martin is the author.

Chapter 10

The next day, Kathryn was released from the hospital. She was happy that her dad was out of jail but was upset that he made her go missing.

"Why didn't mom tell you I was in the hospital?" Kathryn asked.

"Because I was working at the time and she didn't want to bother me. I never found out. I got mad after the five days because you weren't paying me back," Kathryn's dad answered.

"I was going to pay you back, but I was in the hospital," Kathryn said.

"I understand, sweetie," her dad replied, "let's get you over to Susan's house to practice."

So, that is where Kathryn went -over to the Felders' house to practice for that Saturday's piano recital at the church. Kathryn's dad had purchased a new piano, so the piano recital was definitely back on. Susan was really excited when Kathryn rang her doorbell.

"Ready to practice?" Kathryn asked when the door opened.

"Oh yes!" Susan exclaimed. So, she grabbed Kathryn by the hand and brought her into the living room by the piano.

"What song am I going to sing?" Kathryn asked.

"Hallelujah. Do you know that one?" Susan asked.

"Oh, I sing it almost every day! I have every verse memorized!" Kathryn replied excitedly.

"Okay! Let's do it!" Susan exclaimed, sitting at the piano bench.

So, Susan and Kathryn's practice went very well. The next day at school, everyone was talking about the mystery of Kathryn's disappearance being solved. My friends and I spent the whole day getting high fives and slaps on the back. It was great for us.

That day at our BSC meeting, we received a call from Mrs. Felder. "Hi, Mrs. Felder. You want my friends and I to come to the piano recital? We'd love to! We'll be there! Okay, two it is! Bye!" I exclaimed, putting the receiver down.

The rest of the week went fast. Before we knew it, it was the day of the recital. My friends and I arrived at 1:30 to get front row seats.

The show began exactly at two. There were four other piano players before Susan, and they all did a fabulous job. Then, Susan took the stage with Kathryn in tow.

"We are very blessed and thankful that Kathryn was found. I thank Kristy and the baby-sitters club for finding her. Now, here's Hallelujah," Susan said, sitting at the piano bench. The piano hadn't even played once, and Susan got to be the first one to play it.

The microphone was handed to Kathryn, and the performance began. Susan played every note perfectly, and Kathryn's vocal performance was outstanding. Everyone was crying in the audience while my friends were in a big group hug. We have just solved yet another mystery.


End file.
